Lynwood Unified Students Bring AI and Robotics Skills to Life Through Summer Internship

What happens when high school students are given one week of hands-on STEM learning? Students at Lynwood Unified School District answered that question after attending the Build the Future Innovation Summer Academy at Faraday Future headquarters in El Segundo. 

Over the course of five days, students from Marco Antonio Firebaugh and Lynwood High Schools explored artificial intelligence, robotics, mechanical engineering, and Python programming while learning to design and build their own robotic components. Among the participants were the program's youngest interns: a Thurgood Marshall Elementary student and a rising freshman at Firebaugh High. 

The program concluded with student project presentations, live robotics demonstrations, and an awards ceremony recognizing their achievements. Students from El Segundo Unified School District also participated in the program.

"The biggest challenge was getting the agents to run around the track using coding, but the most exciting part was the fashion show we had where we designed and decorated our robotic dog," Melany Negrete, a rising junior at Firebaugh High School said.

The impact of the experience extended well beyond the classroom. Inspired by what they learned, some students are already planning to launch a robotics club on campus, while others are considering college majors in engineering and related STEM fields. 

"I got to experience a lot of things I would not have been able to experience throughout my whole life, like coding with robotics,” Jenny Chen, a rising sophomore at Firebaugh High School said. “I’ve been thinking about majoring in electrical engineering, which is more general, so I could use my degree for something like going into robotics."

Experiences like these represent the kind of hands-on, career-connected learning Lynwood Unified is planning to expand across the District. In fact, during the 2026-27 school year, Lynwood Unified will begin the planning phase of its Signature Programs, creating distinctive learning experiences that reflect each school's strengths while helping students discover their interests, build confidence, and prepare for success in college, career, and life.